used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
a female human offspring
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
documentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
faintedverbUS /ˈfeɪntɪd/
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
of great significance or value
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
located inward
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
interruptionnounUS /ˌɪntərˈʌpʃən/
an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
lapseverbUS /læps/
pass into a specified state or condition
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
the force of workers available
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
information about recent and important events
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
not any; not one
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
PausingverbUS /ˈpɔːzɪŋ/
-ing form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
approval to do something
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
perusedverbUS /pərˈuːzd/
past form of “peruse” — examine or consider with attention and in detail
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
referredverbUS /rəˈfɜːrd/
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
retireverbUS /rɪˈtaɪr/
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
searchedverbUS /sɜːrtʃt/
past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
SinclairnounUS /sɪnˈkler/
United States writer whose novels argued for social reform (1878-1968)
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
in the near future
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
that is looked for
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "So much so, sir, that I fainted; and it was some time before I was fully able to recover myself."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Pausing for a few moments, as she searched in her pocket for the letter referred to, she added, as soon as the important document was brought to light, "If you will kindly read this, it will fully explain the object of my visit much better than I should be able to do."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
at the time that
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
in or at the place that
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Taking the letter which was offered them, they sought and obtained permission to retire into an inner room, where it might be perused without fear of interruption.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I yesterday received a letter which, when I show you, will, I expect, be as much a surprise to you as it was to myself and daughter."
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading On their return, after the lapse of some ten minutes, the younger of the two men remarked;— "No doubt, Mrs. Sinclair, you were greatly surprised at the news which this letter brought?"
